You do not need to spend money going to the gym to stay active and boost energy. There are actually many ways we usually overlook in our day to day lives that can help us stay active. We will look into these underrated tips and explain how you can implement them into your lives.

1. Eating The Right Food

Now you may already know that eating the right food is directly related to optimum health and feeling good. But many people do not know the full truth of what is the best food for our bodies. Have you ever had an unhealthy junk-food meal and felt really bloated, tired or even sluggish – Why is that? Well, when you eat high-density fat foods like meat and other animals products your body needs to work really hard to break everything down. So all your bodies energy is focused on doing that resulting in a lack of energy for you to do your daily activities. Also, this lack of energy can you make you less aware, more sleepy and more sluggish limiting your daily potential.

So what can you do? One thing you can do starting today is to reduce or eliminate animal products. The reason for this is that all animal products are very high in fats that are not only hard to break down but also result in atherosclerosis. What this means is that the saturated fat and cholesterol found in animal products increases the plaque build up in your arteries and puts a large strain on your heart and this can result in many cardiovascular diseases like heart disease. This strain on your heart due to narrow arteries means you use more energy than usual and results in the same sluggishness as stated before.

Luckily plant-based foods have none of these toxic substances and are so easy to digest leaving you feeling fresh and energized through your entire day. If you don’t believe me, try a plant-based diet for a month and you will begin to feel and see amazing results. To read more about the benefits of a vegan diet read our previous blog post.

2. Avoid Caffeine!

This make seem counter-intuitive but caffeine-rich drinks such as coffee and energy drinks might actually be causing your tiredness! The reason is that caffeine is not a sustainable source of energy what so ever – you may get an hour or two of alertness but eventually you will crash and feel awful when the caffeine effect wears off. If you have to drink caffeine we recommend to drink very small doses throughout your day as a pose to consuming one large beverage.

However the better more sustainable and effective way to boost your energy is through consuming the right foods – let me explain. Instead of drinking a cup of coffee in the morning have a smoothie or a fruit bowl, this will keep your blood sugar stabilized and give you’re a boost of energy. Sucrose and sugar from fruits help stabilize your blood sugar levels because they are disaccharides, which means they contain both glucose and fructose as a pose to other foods such as starchy vegetables and grains. This doesn’t mean they are bad or unhealthy – this just means that they are not the ideal choice for boosting your energy. So take this knowledge and apply it to your daily life by adding loads of fruit to your morning breakfast!

Here are a few fruits that are great for improving energy levels:

Peaches

Apricots

Nectarines

Plums

Cherries

Oranges

Lemons

Limes

Bananas

Dates

Guava Lychee

Passion Fruit

Papaya

Pineapple

3. Walk Instead of Taking Transport to boost energy

Walking short distances throughout our day can make a huge difference to our health. The problem with our world today is that we have become very busy and forget to prioritize our health! Walking short distances is a fun and convenient way of improving your health, whilst simultaneously reaching your destination. Also, this does not affect your day, you still get your daily tasks completed whilst also maintaining your health.

So next time you need to get somewhere, consider walking or cycling if it won’t make you late. Or, be a bit more mindful and provide yourself with more time beforehand. This may be irritating or boring at first, but doing this every day can really make a massive improvement to your health after a few months.

Some of the benefits of walking includes:

increased cardiovascular and pulmonary (heart and lung) fitness

reduced risk of heart disease and stroke

improved management of conditions such as hypertension (high blood pressure), high cholesterol, joint, and muscular pain or stiffness, and diabetes

4. Perform a Sport You Love

Performing a sport you love is a great way to boost energy and lose weight passively. The reason why this method is so effective is that when we do what we truly enjoy it becomes effortless. By the time you have completed an hour of tennis or football, you’ll be wondering where the time even went?! In a nut-shell, exercising will become more fun and less boring! So figure out what you love to do the most and focus your energy on it and very soon you will notice the results.

5. Maintain Your Own Garden

(If you don’t have a garden, no worries move onto the next tip)

Gardening is another free, productive and therapeutic way to boost energy and end up with a beautiful looking garden. Yes, you heard me right, gardening can be very therapeutic and calming which is so helpful after a long day at work or school. Not only is this free, but in fact, you are saving money in many ways, for instance, you don’t have to pay someone to cut your grass continuously.

Secondly, you don’t have to pay a monthly gym membership fee and last but not least you will not need to pay any future health costs. Most people do not take this into consideration when evaluating the value of tasks. The average American is estimated to spend a whopping $10,345 on healthcare per year!

6. Clean Your House

Cleaning your house can be just as effective as doing any other activities, staying active doesn’t have to be expensive all that is required is body movement. The more we move the better we function internally and externally, like they say “If you don’t use it, you lose it”. Plus, when you know you are gaining much more value, including increased weight loss and improved health, you will become much more motivated to perform the activities you once found tedious.

After a while, once you get this into a routine it will become easier and easier and having a messy house will be a thing of the past. Also, the feel-good factor of accomplishing something and having a good looking house/apartment is well worth the effort.

7. Ride a Bike

Bike riding helps improve cardiovascular health, strengthens muscles and joints, helps with weight loss and boosts the immune system. Similarly to walking, you can ride your bike instead of taking transport over more longer distances. Most work/school buildings have a spot to lock your bike up. Or, in your free time, you can take your bike to a public area like a park and you can ride for as long as you want. Don’t overwork your self at first, take it easy and slowly increase the intensity and distance over time.

The benefits of this are that you will save a lot of money on gas for your car and public transport fees. Plus, you will reduce your contribution to one of the biggest CO2 emitters (the transport sector) and improve the health of your bones and organ systems. When writing this we are assuming you have a bike, but if you don’t then you can always use free bike which is usually offered in large cities. Or you could ask a family member to buy you one for a birthday!

8. Boost Energy While Hiking

Hiking in nature is a fun and enjoyable way to also boost energy whilst breathing in the fresh air that many of us who live in cities lack (fresh air). The travel is well worth the effort as you will be more motivated than ever when you get to experience those amazing views and refreshing air. You can also take some friends or family for a fun day out, as exercising can be much more enjoyable with company.

Furthermore, hiking is especially good for weight loss because for the majority of the time you will be running uphill, which requires more effort for less time. Ultimately, allowing you to burn up to 300-400 calories in a single hour, how cool is that? Plus a day away from toxic, polluted city air can give your body a moment to relax and regulate your bodies functions.

Similarly to gardening, being one with nature can provide an amazing opportunity to help clear your mind. So not only will you improve your physical health, but you will also improve your mental health which is something that many people overlook.

9. Yoga/Home-workouts

Yoga and home work-outs are one of the easiest ways to boost energy. You don’t need to buy anything, but you can choose to if you would like a more convenient experience. For example, you can buy a yoga mat or some comfortable yoga attire. The same applies to home-workouts, you do not need anything as the majority of the exercises can be performed using only the weight of your own body. One thing you will need is informative content which you can find for free very easily online.

Some of the benefits of yoga/home-workouts include:

Increased flexibility.

Increased muscle strength and tone.

Improved respiration, energy and vitality.

Maintaining a balanced metabolism.

Weight reduction.

Protection from injury.

Thank you

Thank you for taking your time to read this blog, we hope it gave you some ideas to assist in your fitness journey. We care about the experience of our readers, so if you have any questions or concerns read through our Frequently Asked Questions or send us an email on our Contact Us page.

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